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Daily Archives: 25. August 2017

Testimony Jaga, one of the Nigeria’s most popular Gospel Urban Fuji Singer is thrilled to announce the release of the Official Video of his Hit Single – Igara (Boast).

The Street Gospel Music (SGM) Artiste Testimony Jaga has released his brand new music video for “Igara (Boast)”, the forthcoming single from his debut album that will drop later this year. The song “Igara (Boast)” was written by Testimony Jaga and the video was directed by Carel Films. The video was shot in various locations around Johannesburg, South Africa. The song was produced by the Award-Winning Producer RSQ – Da Boss. And all creative music strategies were powered by the World-class creative production Outfit “Idea Hub”.

In the meeting, which was the first bipartisan gathering ever presided over by Buhari, the president thanked the leaders for attending the meeting. He also thanked those who prayed for his recovery while in the U.K. for medical treatment.

His words: “I thank you sincerely, collectively and individually for finding time from your busy schedules to come all the way to Abuja and welcome me back home.

“This visit signifies the unity of Nigeria. It is not a party occasion. It is not a political gathering. It is a symbol of our National unity. It is also an expression of the maturity of our democracy.

“Multi-party democracy is a very tried and tested form of government. Opposition does not mean hostility, enmity or antagonism. Democracy needs opposition, one which is vibrant but responsible.

“I am very pleased to see you assembled here all shades of opinion in Nigeria. Please convey to our countrymen and women in your respective states my deep gratitude to all those who prayed for my recovery. I am imploring all Nigerians to continue praying for peace and prosperity in Nigeria.”

Earlier, the National Chairman, Caretaker Committee, PDP, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, said that his party believed that opposition was no madness and would therefore, never wish ill of anybody, let alone the president.

He said that the president was saddled with the responsibility of leading the country, and deserved everyone’s prayer and support.

According to him, PDP is poised to play the role of responsible opposition party energetically, vibrantly, but very decently and with all sense of responsibility.

Born Adesuyan Olasunkanmi Collins on the 1st of April 1993, “SENSAE” is an entertainer and graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Federal University of Technology Akure who brings a unique blend of creativity to his music and the industry at large.

He premieres his debut single “Go Low” produced by S’bling and video directed by Baba Gee. He is prominent for his Sensational style and rhythmic flows and is deeply inspired by music from the legendary Bob Marley, Fela, 2face Idibia, 9ice, Burna boy, Wandecoal, Tory Lanez, MIchael Jackson to mention a few.

Sensae is signed to Crunkyard Entertainment. Enjoy this club funk and be quick to share with friends.

Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

The Coalition of Northern Groups, under the banner of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, had ordered the Igbo to leave the north on or before October 1, 2017 only to withdraw the notice on Thursday.

However, on Friday, IPOB urged the Arewa youth to “please stick to the October 1 deadline or else they have no honour”.

IPOB noted that history had shown that the withdrawal of the notice does not mean that Igbo lives and property are no longer endangered in the North.

Speaking through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB said: “It is inconsequential to IPOB whether the ‘quit notice’ was rescinded or not because it will in no way impact the pace and direction of our effort to restore Biafra.

“Threats don’t have any effect on us, so our advice to the Arewa North is to please stick to the October 1 deadline or else they have no honour.

“We urge all southerners in the core North to return home before October 1 as history will most definitely repeat itself.

“Southerners were massacred in the pogroms of 1966 and 1967 after similar assurances were issued then that people should remain in the North.”

“The presence of a serving governor and senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the supposed press briefing confirms what we have always known that the incitement to genocide, which is what the ‘quit notice’ is all about, has the blessing of the Arewa political class.”

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that the admission processes for 2017/2018 will commence on September 15 and close on January 31, 2018.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of JAMB Information and Media, who made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bwari, Abuja, on Friday, also added that the direct entry applications for admission would close on September 15.

Since its inception, the Hennessy Cypher has given hip-hop fans alot to talk about.

This year, six teams were created to include Unstoppable Rebels, Gidi Gang, Kings Quest, VS Class Alumni, Lyrical Legends and the first ever FEMCee team – Femme Fatal.

Kicking off the session is Unstoppable Rebels, led by the King of The South, Yung6ix. His squad members are Wale Turner, Tegagat, Stage1ne and Payper.

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Over production by DJ Factor, the MC’s proves that they never stop, never settle as they drop unforgettable bars that stirs the session in a direction, making this season the most competitive ever recorded.

Stage1ne kicks off strong with some bragging lines “new bars to make these old rappers retire, make your squad cease fire, Sango flow, I dey spit fire…”.

Next up is Wale Turner, who drops the hottest indigenous bars causing a rave among his team mates. He is closely followed by Payper and Tega who do a good job of not dropping the ball.

Wrapping up is Yung6ix who gives a dramatic spirited performance of his own. The “Respeck on my name” rapper owns the mic, dropping several punch lines in his verse. “…6 on my back while I’m balling nigga, steady looking like I’m Pogba” he spits.

According to him, the directive was part of efforts to stem the growing tide of hate speech in the country.

His words: “As a matter of fact, the challenges facing the NBC have never become more daunting, considering the increasing propensity of some radio and television stations across the country to turn over their platforms to the purveyors of hate speech.”

“It is the responsibility of the NBC to put these broadcast stations in check before they set the country on fire.

“As the NBC celebrates what is a milestone – a quarter of a century – in its existence, I urge the Commission to redouble its efforts in discharging its mandate.

“The NBC must ensure a strict adherence to the Broadcasting Code, and errant stations must be sanctioned accordingly to serve as a deterrent.

“The nation looks up to the NBC to restore sanity to the broadcast industry. The Commission cannot afford to do any less at this critical time. It cannot afford to fail the nation.”

Mr Mohammed also cited the ignominious role played by a radio station in fuelling the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 which led to the loss of over 800,000 lives in 100 days.

He continued: “If you tune into many radio stations, for example, you will be shocked by the things being said, the careless incitement to violence and the level of insensitivity to the multi-religious, multi-ethnic nature of our country.”

“Unfortunately, even some of the hosts of such radio programmes do little or nothing to stop such incitements.

“Oftentimes, they are willing collaborators of hate speech campaigners. This must not be allowed to continue because it is detrimental to the unity and well-being of our country.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday signed nine agreements, including the Extradition Treaty, with United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is understood that the treaty is aimed to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign.

Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony at the President Villa, Abuja on Thursday, the President said that the agreements would enable both countries to take important steps toward strengthening their economies and security.

The president said: “Today’s ceremony marks a very important milestone in our demonstration of sovereign capacity to fulfil our international obligations and take important steps for the benefit of our economy, security and the anti-corruption war within and outside Nigeria.

“I am happy to note therefore, that pursuant to a Memorandum presented to the Federal Executive Council by the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Council has approved the ratification of the said Agreements, thus paving the way for today’s ceremony.

“With this sovereign act, which has been replicated in the United Arab Emirates by their responsible authorities, we are now in a position to utilize these Agreements fully to foster cooperation between our respective authorities particularly for the purpose of prosecuting the anti-corruption campaign of this Government.’’

Other legal instruments between Nigeria and UAE signed by the President included the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters and the Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

The President also signed the Charter for the Lake Chad Basin between Nigeria, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger and the Republic of Chad, African Tax Administration Forum Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters.

Others are the World Intellectual Property Organisation Performances and Phonograms Treaty; The World Intellectual Property Organization Treaty on Audio-Visual Performances.

The Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons, who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise was also signed by the President.

President Buhari, therefore, charged all agencies with roles to play under the respective Treaties to ensure that they did that effectively to reap the full benefits of the agreements.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched an intervention fund with an initial value of $200m to support local oil and gas firms in the country.

Speaking on the development on Thursday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed that the intervention fund is part of measures to improve access to low-cost credit for oil and gas firms operating in the economy.

He added that the Nigerian Content Development Fund will be financed through the allocation of one per cent of the value of all contracts awarded in the upstream oil and gas industry,

The petroleum ministry also said that the new fund would offer finance to energy firms setting up manufacturing facilities or acquiring assets such as oil rigs.

“I would like to see this fund going to cutting-edge, tech-driven businesses,” Kachikwu told a gathering at the fund launch in Abuja.

He said, “The essence of the funds is to help galvanise Nigerian experts who want to invest in various areas but lack the funds to enter the industry.

“This $200m will ginger everybody to begin to see how to expand the funds. My goal is to expand the funds to $1bn and after the launch today, we would have to set up a team to work internally to first of all get to the BoI to get their counterpart support for the funds.”

The minister called on the Bank of Industry to work with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to raise the local content intervention fund from the current $200m (N61bn based on the official exchange rate of N305 to a dollar) to $1bn (N305bn).

Several Vice-Chancellors and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have rejected the decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to fix admission cut-off mark at 120 for universities and 100 for polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education.

While the apex exam body fixed the minimum cut off marks for admissions into universities in Nigeria at 120, polytechnics and colleges of education were pegged at 100, while that of innovative enterprising institutes was pegged at 110.

However, the leadership of ASUU described the development as a “sad policy decision,” adding that it was in tandem “with the dream of the present government to destroy public universities in the country.”

Also showing their complete rejection of the 120 cut off mark, a number of vice-chancellors maintained that they would not lower admission standards in their respective varsities.

According to The Punch, the vice-chancellors were of the opinion that the decision would add no value to the nation’s university system.

In Oyo state, a statement issued by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, on the issue and released by his Media Assistant, Mr. Sunday Saanu, on Thursday, disclosed that the university would never admit any candidate that scored 120 in the UTME.

The statement added, “It should worry us as patriots that candidates who scored just 30 per cent in the UTME can be admitted into some of our universities. Yet, we complain of poor quality of our graduates. You can hardly build something on nothing. The consolation here is that since JAMB started conducting this qualifying exam in 1978, UI has never admitted any candidate who scored less than 200 marks out of the maximum 400 marks.

“This translates to a minimum of 50 per cent. This remains our position as an institution aspiring to be world-class. Reality is that only about four other universities in the country have such high standard. To that extent, apart from being the oldest, we are an elite university in the country at least judging by the quality of our intakes.’’

Also lending voice on the development, the Vice-Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade, said that the onus would ultimately fall on parents and employers of labour to decide “between a first-class graduate of a university which takes 120 as its cut-off mark or one that takes 180 as its cut-off mark.’’

Obilade, who said that TASUED would never go below 180, insisted that many of the VCs at the Combined Policy Meeting during which the 120 benchmark decision was made, said they would not go below 180.

She said, “But some universities chose 120 at the meeting. What the JAMB has done is to transfer power back to the Senate of universities to decide their cut-off marks. What I can tell you is that many public universities and even private universities will not go below 200. We were told that some universities were doing what they called ‘under the table admission’ and then come back to JAMB after four years for regularisation.

“TASUED will not go below 180, not under my watch. Even in the United States, there is what we call Ivy League universities, and there are those you can call ‘Next Level Universities.’ There are also those that are termed community colleges. At the meeting, the outcome is that universities have been given the freedom to decide. It is not general legislation and it is not binding on everybody.’’

Addressing newsmen in Ibadan, the Chairman of ASUU, at the University of Ibadan, Dr. Deji Omole, said it was the dream of the present government to destroy education in the country.

He said, “Rather than sanctioning the identified universities that admitted over 17,000 students illegally, the JAMB registrar simply regularised illegality and lowered cut-off marks to favour the interests of the friends of government who own private universities and are hell bent on destroying public education.”

“Where are the students that the JAMB registrar said entered universities illegally? Which universities admitted them? If 30 per cent did not take JAMB and found their way into the university system, is that not corruption and a message that JAMB is not significant anymore? What sanction did those who did the illegal thing receive other than regularisation of illegality.

“We are watching because long before now we have said that JAMB has outlived its usefulness. Let the universities set their unique standards and those who are qualified can come in. Scoring 120 out of 400 marks is 30 per cent. Even in those days, 40 per cent was graded as pass. But now JAMB said with F9 which is scoring 30 per cent you can be admitted.

“They deliberately want to destroy education. Even for polytechnic, 100 marks is 25 per cent. It is sad. And that is where we are in Nigeria. They want to destroy public education at all costs. This is not setting standard for education in Nigeria. It is purely lowering standards and digging grave for the future. This is why ASUU is currently on the struggle to influence the government to do the needful for education in Nigeria.”

On his own part, the Dean of Students Affairs, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Kayode Alese, who spoke on behalf of FUTA management, said that the institution would soon unveil its cut-off mark.

His words: “However, I can assure you that FUTA has never gone as low as 120. It has never happened and it will never happen.”

“Having spoken for the university, my personal opinion is that the 120 cut-off mark will not add value to our education system. The Federal Government has just increased the pass mark from 40 to 45 in universities. What that means is that you must score at least 45 for you to pass any course. We have enough candidates and yes you may try to increase access but tertiary education should be for those who have the capability.’’

Also, the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Tope Ogunmodede, said the institution would not admit any candidate with 120 UTME score.

He said, “Traditionally, OAU has never admitted students who scored below 200 in the UTME. For us, we are sticking to 200. The minimum benchmark is 120 but you can go higher than that. I expect that an institution should be able to determine the quality of its graduates because there are internal exams. What has been done is to provide a leeway for universities to decide their cut-off marks.”